Although Kawasaki’s image as an industrial city tends to come first in people’s minds,

the city is actually home to many intriguing cultural facilities. At

the Japan Open-Air Folk House Museum, I hope visitors will see

Japan’s valuable heritage and learn how ordinary people

used to live.

Enjoy Japan’s great culture and works in a beautiful natural setting.

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The museum houses a collection of 1,800 works of Taro Okamoto who was born in Takatsu Ward, including paintings, sculptures, and furniture, and holds permanent and special exhibitions. Creative efforts are made to provide clear and easy-to-understanding introductions on Okamoto’s thoughts and multifaceted activities and their background. The outdoor monument, Tower of Mother, is sure to amaze visitors.

Taro Okamoto Museum of ArtExperience the powerful and dynamic style of Okamoto

In order to inform succeeding generations about old Japanese folk houses which are now disappearing, 25 structures, including 18 national and prefectural cultural properties, have been reconstructed and are on display. There are private homes from the Edo period in eastern Japan, a thatch-roof water mill, a boatman’s house, and a rural stage for kabuki plays. Indigo dying is available at the traditional craftwork museum.

The Japan Open-Air Folk House MuseumOpen-air museum of Japan’s representative old folk houses

Ikuta Ryokuchi is home to intriguing cultural facilities or “Japan’s treasures,” including the museum of Fujiko.F.Fujio, the creator of the internationally famous character Doraemon, and an art museum dedicated to world-renowned artist Taro Okamoto.

The museum offers many fascinating attractions, including the Exhibition Room where visitors can take a close look at about 130 original drawings from the valuable collection of roughly 50,000 drawings, “People’s Plaza,” where visitors can enjoy “a slightly mysterious experience,” and the “Field,” where visitors can meet various manga characters. A short, original film is shown.

Kawasaki Fujiko.F.Fujio Museum Enjoy the world of Fujiko.F.Fujio’s works

Reopened in 2012. The museum is equipped with the newest projector MEGASTAR-III FUSION created by planetarium creator Takayuki Ohira, a Kawasaki City resident, and a renovated exhibition room. Using four large-scale (computer-controlled) telescopes, the museum also offers star-viewing sessions.

Kawasaki Municipal Science Museum(Kawasaki Science Museum for Youth)

New MEGASTAR for a more precise night sky

Mr. Teruo SakuraiVolunteer, Robata-no-kai , The Japan Open-Air Folk House Museum

Ikuta Ryokuchi:

A Stretch of Greenery Where Cultural Attractions are Scattered Throughout

A museum for all generationsPeople of all generations are sure to have fun. The museum takes a playful approach, with characters appearing on museum signs. An “audio guide” is also distributed to all visitors who are over four years of age.

Visitors will be greeted by charactersCharacter monuments and signs with character reliefs are found along the route from the

nearest train stat ion to the museum. A pay shuttle bus with drawings of characters runs from Noborito Station.

Fujiko.F.Fujio loved Ikuta RyokuchiFujiko.F.Fujio (real name: Hiroshi Fujimoto) lived and continued to draw manga in Tama Ward from 1961. He took walks in Ikuta Ryokuchi on his days off and had close ties to the park. For this reason, the museum was constructed there.

Enjoying the nature of each seasonIkuta Ryokuchi is the largest natural area in Kawasaki City. Due to its proximity to Tokyo, this treasure-trove of greenery is visited by many people. The park offers a splendid view of the cherry trees on Mt. Masugata from its observation deck. The rose garden in the spring and fall, and calamus and hydrangea in the summer also delight the eyes of visitors throughout the seasons.

Spring Summer

Fall Winter

Ikuta RyokuchiKawasaki’s

Natural Blessing

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